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Malaysian shoe store offers a man to rub your bunions with every purchase

Shoes and men – does a better combination exist? I think not. Which is why, dear readers, I'll be taking off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia soon to visit a little retailer called Shoes Shoes Shoes.

Media outlets have been reporting on the store, which, in a stroke of genius, has finally brought two of the greatest pleasures on Earth together. Here's how it works: You go in and buy a sumptuous pair of heels, then go on the retailer's website and search for men who have offered to pay for a portion or the entire cost of pair of shoes in exchange for a date.

Shoes Shoes Shoes made this happen by partnering with the dating website LunchActually.com. Men from the dating site use it to choose 20 pairs of shoes that they would be willing to chip in for – that is, if an attractive customer agrees to go on a date with them. After the date, the woman is reimbursed for her footwear splurge by her suitor. Oh, and did I mention that the store is staffed with shirtless young hunks?

The shop's Facebook page touts the service as a kind of Sex and the City fantasy, while The Huffington Post suggested that there may be a seedier side to it.

New York Magazine pointed out that the service may end up setting women up with men who have foot fetishes.

Well, methinks that the HuffPo and NY Mag may want to lay off the judgment and consider that perhaps some of us don't mind mixing our shoes with pleasure. Studies have shown that the feet are one of the most pined after body parts of fetishists. Indeed, I've dated more than my share of these types, and – for the most part – they're fine, upstanding citizens like the rest of us.

One issue that may be cause for concern is the foot conditions that may be exacerbated by the towering heels sold at Shoes Shoes Shoes. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports that wearing pumps and stilettos on a regular basis can lead to foot pain, bunions, hammer toe or fallen arches.

As such, I'll be wearing my bunion splints for the entire duration of my flight to Malaysia. Many have seen these bunion correction devices make significant improvements in their bony foot deformities.